Regalia shifted her chair closer to Christian’s, it was the only movement that caught my eye and distracted me long enough to breathe.
“Wine” Marcellino declared but he was starching it towards me.
Me, why me?
His eyes squinted at the side and I could see his lips forming that smile of his. I felt Christian tense, he was sitting in front of me. I stretched and look the bottle and poured some of the wine into my cup. Why would he think I would refuse it, was he suspecting pregnancy or did he get the information from someone.
“Manners Jenna, we have a guest in our midst” my mother said tersely.
The younger man beside me was watching me keenly, as if he was seeing a real life angel and he was not going to pull his eyes away, in case I disappear.
“Wine?” I asked him and his Adam Apple bobbed.
“Please ” he said, his voice sounded raspy, he was nervous.
“What’s your name?” I asked him.
“Brien, Brien Cooper ”
I handed my cup over to him, the older man grinned from ear to ear while Brien took the cup and drank greedily.
“Happy?” I asked my mother.
She smiled a little and she nodded. She had saved me and she didn’t even know it.
“Show our guest some respect, they’re here aid your father’s company”
“I didn’t know that his company needed help” I said.
The last time I remember, it was flourishing.
My mother tensed, she grabbed her glass and chucked down all the wine. I watched her keenly, who ever laid a finger on her was aiming to reach her a lesson.
I couldn’t keep staring at her, I turned away and I met Christian’s eyes. It was fixed on me, unmoving and unsmiling. I looked down at my food and picked up my knife and fork.
Brien moved closer to me.
“You’re beautiful” he whispered.
I smiled and I was about to move away when his fingers brushed my knee. Thankful, my gown was below my knee.
I cleared my throat and his hand left instantly. I smiled to myself.
“In addition to aiding our company, Mr Cooper is going to aid our family” Marcellino said.
I looked up at him, everyone’s attention was on him, even Christian’s.
“Mr Cooper and I have struck a deal. His son, his hardworking and diligent son will be marrying Jenna ”
My knife fell from my hand to the floor and the loud chatter of metal on marble was the only sound in the room.
Regalia gasped, “That’s the marriage you were speaking of earlier ” she said.
My mouth fell open and I turned to Brien he was smiling down at me. I wanted to look at Christian, but, I couldn’t. It would be too obvious.
“They came here to see Jenna, and to see if she catches their eye. She’s a rare beauty, I had assured them of that and now, from across the table, my good friend here have confirmed that she’s perfect”
I saw that Christian was about to speak, I saw that he could not… He could not stand it anymore, he was going to tell them and he be done with it.
“No” I said first, cutting Christian off. “I won’t marry you, Brien”
Mr Cooper looked angry and pale, he was not used to getting rejected, on the other hand, his son…
“Wait, you thought you can just call me here and tell me to marry a stranger and I’ll do it?”
“For your father’s company, Jenna. You will marry him!!” My mother yelled.
“Pffft… Fuck you and fuck your company Marcellino.. Fuck you too Brien and fuck your dad” I stood up.
“Sit down, young lady!!” My mother yelled and she stood up.
“Did you really expect me to say yes?” I asked quietly. “Was I really a puppet all these years?”
My mother’s silence told me all I needed to know.
“Well, it’s a good thing I know better now. So I’m saying no, one final time. There are other ways to revive your company Marcellino, marrying me off is not one of them”
Marcellino stood up.
“Then I disown you, Jenna!” He shouted, there were three people standing at the table and Christian’s knife was missing and beside his plate Regalia’s knife was missing too. I certainly knew who was holding them, Christian. I wanted to tell him to stop it but he was staring at his target, not me.
“Pffft.. thank you for doing that Marcellino, thank you” I told him mad he suddenly realised, if I was no longer recognised as his stepdaughter, Christian was just a stranger… And if Christian was just a stranger, we could fuck in public and no one would make it a controversy.
I looked back and Christian’s knife was back to its rightful place, so was Regalia’s.
“If you leave here without saying yes to this marriage proposal, I’m going to divorce your mother”
I stopped walking. Disowning me was one thing, divorcing my mother would wreck me and my career. She would loose her job, start her heinous habit and it would all weigh down on me.
I turned to my mum, she was crying.
“You can’t be serious ” I said and Marcellino sat down, knowing he got me.
“Oh, I really am” Marcellino said. “You think it’s easy to take her in… With all her gambling habits… You think it’s easy, then sy no to Mr Cooper and the divorce papers would arrive tomorrow. She’ll live with you and in six months, the both of you will be dead broke, just the way I had found you, filthy and dirty ”
My heart grew splinters at his words, sharp pain filled my chest.
“Marcellino, you can’t be serious ” I said one more time.
The room was quiet, too quiet.. I knew that was Christian was thinking.
I turned to Brien and immediately our eyes met, he threw gaze somewhere else.
I went back to sit at the table and Christian turned to look at me, his eyes were wide with disbelief.
I shook my head, very slightly, I was saying that I was sorry.
The motion didn’t go unnoticed by Jeandre whose eyes were picking up even the slightest blink of an eye.
“Marcellino, how much do you want for all this end?” Christian asked Marcellino and Marcellino’s smile grew to his ear as he heard the desperation in Christian’s voice.
This was a one way road.
It was a trap and Marcellino would with which ever way I turn. He knew that Christian would not let me marry Brien, he knew that I would marry Brien to save my mother and he knew that Christian would offer him money if I want to save my mother.
He wins in ever direction. But no way is Christian giving him another dime, no bloody way.
“No Chris, I’ll marry Brien”